Magnetic pencils



April 30, 1957 H. ZELINGER MAGNETIC PENCILS Filed Jan. 21, 1953 INVENTOR. Hen/y Z a jnger United States Patent MAGNETIC PENCILS Henry Zelinger, New York, N. Y. Application January 21, 1953, Serial No. 332,468

1 Claim. (Cl. 120-9) This invention relates to magnetic articles and more particularly to a magnetic pencil.

Pencils are prone to become hidden under papers and other articles on top of desks, tables and the like and such pencils often fall off of such supporting surfaces. Furthermore, often times it is necessary to lay a pencil down to use both hands for a certain purpose with no place handy to support it.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical pencil with a permanent magnet whereby the pencil may be supported on any surface containing iron' whether the supporting surface is fiat or other shape, and whether it is disposed horizontally or otherwise.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical pencil with a permanent magnet which may be readily removed for cleaning and repair or any other desired purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical pencil with a permanent magnet attached to its removable cap.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mechanical pencil with a permanent magnet loosely mounted in the barrel of the pencil and with means for protecting the lead driving mechanism of the pencil from the magnet.

It is further proposed to provide a magnetic mechanical pencil which is simple in c/nstruction and can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

' anism may be employed to advance the lead 13'through the opening 12 in the tip 11 and for this purpose the lead is shown supported in a tube 14 which has a longitudinal For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more paritcularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of a mechanical pencil embodying one form of the invention, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a detail elevational view of the magnet and supporting cap of Fig. 1, parts being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1, showing a modification of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of another modification of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of still another modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail elevational view of the magnet and supporting cap of Fig. 5, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and with particular reference to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a mechanical pencil made in accordance with this form of the invention comprises a hollow body or barrel 10, with a thin wall, polygonal in cross-section, and made of non-magnetic material, such as any organic plastic material. Such material can be beautifully finished, plated and polished. The body has the usual rotatable tip 11 at its lower end with an opening 12 through which the lead 13 extends. Any suitable mechslot 14 and is free to rotate in a screw 15. The screw 15 is engaged by a pin 16 of an ejecting rod 16 through the slot 14 of the tube 14. The bottom of the screw 15 has an enlarged knurled flange 15 which is connected to the barrel 10, while the tube 14 is connected to the tip 11 so that as the tip is rotated, the screw turns and drives the pin 16 and the ejecting rod 16 in the tube 14 downwardly, advancing the lead along.

The top of the barrel 10 of the pencil as viewed in Fig. l, is open and may be closed by a closure member in the form of a plug-type cap 17. The cap comprises a hollow cylindrical body 18 having a reduced extension 19 at one end forming a shoulder 20 and having a reduced extension 21 at its other end. The reduced extension 19 is slightly smaller in diameter than the internal diameter of the barrel 10 of the pencil so that the cap can be inserted endwise inwardly into the barrel through its open end, with a sliding fit, until the shoulder 20 seats against the upper end edge of the barrel. When the cap is thus seated, its body portion 18 and extension 21 protrude outwardly of the barrel.

A permanent magnetic rod 22 is supported by the reduced end portion 19 0f the cap and depends into the interior of the barrel, spaced slightly from the thin wall of the barrel. The rod may be made of any suitable permanent magnetic material such as alloys of aluminum, cobalt, nickel and iron, or nickle-iron, iron-nickelaluminum alloys, although any type of permanent magnet would operate satisfactorily. Therod 22 and the reduced portion 19, of the cap are round, but of course these elementsmay be of .any other desired shape. The rod is slightly smaller in diameter than the internal diameter of the reduced end portion 19 of the cap and is first coated with a suitable cement or adhesive 23 and then pushed into the reduced end portion 19. When the cement dries, the rod becomes fastened to the inner surface of the end portion 19 of the cap.

When a pencil, made in accordance with the present invention is placed against a surface containing iron, the permanent magnet in the pencil will be attracted to the surface and held by the powerful magnetic field.

This magnetic field will penetrate the thin non-magnetic wall of the barrel so as to occupy a considerable portion of the air space immediately outside the barrel wall. The pencil will remain in any position in which it is placed on the supporting surface. Thus the pencil is always convenient and handy and in full view of the person desiring to use it. Such a pencil can be of special advantage in ofiices where it can be placed conveniently on the dial of a telephone or against ofiice cabinets, files or drawers. If the pencil is placed on the iron surfaces of any of such articles, it will stay there.

In an automobile, it may be placed against any exposed iron surface, such as the dashboard, and it will stay in place where it is put so that it is handy for a salesman or other person in the car.

In the home, there are a number of places it may be placed, such as against an iron kitchen cabinet and the like.

It will thus be seen that the pencil does not have to be placed in a drawer or in any special place and it will not roll. Furthermore, it can be placed on vertical surfaces and does not have to be placed on top of a desk or table.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 3, a rubber eraser 24 is supported in the inner extension 19' of the cap, and the magnetic rod 22' is loosely mounted Patented Apr. 1957 in they barrel 10's Aspacer member in the shape of a double headed pin 25 is placed, in the barrel 10' between the permanent magnetic rod 22' and the mechanism for drawing'or advancing the lead 13 through the pencil.

The pin 25 is loosely retained in the barrel and is formed of non-magnetic material and serves to space the magnetic rod 22' away from such advancing and driving mechanism so that the parts of such mechanism are isolated and will not become effected by contact with the permanent magnet upon movement of the latter.

Inall other respects, the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 is similar to the form shown in Fig. 1 and similar reference numerals are .used to indicate similarparts.

Fig. 4 illustrates a further modification of the inven tion in which the permanent magnetic rod 22 is also loosely mounted in the barrel 10". A modified spacer in the form of a spherical member, such as a ball 26 is placed loosely in the barrel 10" between the magnetic rod 22 and the lead advancing mechanism. This ball is formed of non-magnetic material and functions the same as the pin 25 of the form of Fig. 3 to space the magnetic rod 22" away from the parts of the lead advancing mechanism so that they are isolated and will not become effected by contact with the magnetic rod.

In all other respects, the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4 is similar to the form shown in Fig. 3 and similar reference numerals are used to indicate similar parts.

In the modified form of pencil shown in Fig. 5, the permanent magnetic rod 22' is looselymounted in the barrel 10. Herein, the inner end of the rod is formed with a socket 27 in which is inserted one end of an elongated cylindrical plug 28'of non-magnetic material, forming an extension of the rod. The plug may be secured in the socket by a coating of cement 29 or the like. of the lead advancing mechanism of the pencil thus isolating such parts.

Inall other respects, the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 is similar to that shown in Fig. 3 and similar reference numerals are used to indicate similar parts.

The rod is thus held from contacting the parts It will be seen that in all forms of the invention, the magnetic rod is readily removed from the barrel of the pencil for cleaning it or for any other desired purpose.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent A. magnetic pencil comprising a hollow barrel of nonmagnetic material having an open end, lead advancing mechanism positioned in the other end of the barrel, a cap for closing the open end, a cylindrical rubber eraser supported by said cap and extending into the interior of the barrel, an elongated cylindrical permanent magnetic rod loosely mounted in the interior of the barrel and being movable therealong, said rod having a socket in its end opposite the eraser, and an elongated cylindrical non-magnetic abutting rod having one end secured in the socket of the magnetic rod and its other end extending outwardly thereof, said rubber eraser being disposed between the cap and one end of the magnetic rod, in the path of movement of said magnetic rod, and said abutting rod being disposed between the lead advancing mechanism and the other end of the magnetic rod for isolating said cap and mechanism, respectively, from the magnetic rod.

References Cited in the file-of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 512,381 Keyes Jan. 9, 1894 2,385,859 Jacobson Oct. 2, 1945 2,455,506 Leslie Dec. 7, 1948 2,508,075 Morris May 16, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 336,282 Germany Apr. 29, 1921 

